Tag: UDFA

2020 Redskins undrafted free agents tracker: all reports of post-draft signings

The Redskins have completed their draft, but that doesn’t mean they are finished adding players to their roster.

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While the bigger names came off the board during the 2020 NFL Draft, don’t be surprised if the Washington Redskins take some chances on lesser-known guys who didn’t get drafted over the weekend. While many of the NFL’s best players come from the draft, a handful of difference-makers have been found still waiting in the past, waiting to sign with whoever will take them. For instance, the Redskins signed Steven Sims Jr. after the draft in 2019, and he now stands as one of their best receivers.

So who have the Redskins added as UDFAs? Follow along as we track the most up-to-date additions below:

Undrafted Free Agent Signings:

TE Thaddeus Moss — LSU

QB Steven Montez — Colorado

WR Isaiah Wright — Temple

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Redskins sign LSU TE Thaddeus Moss as Undrafted Free Agent

The Redskins added a legitimate tight end in Thaddeus Moss as an undrafted free agent.

After LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss surprisingly was left still standing after the final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft was made, the Washington Redskins signed him as an undrafted free agent.

Moss, who is the well-known son of former NFL legend Randy Moss, was a great player for the LSU Tigers, and he had a nice coming out party in 2019 playing alongside QB Joe Burrow as they went on to win the National Championship.

Moss will now come to Washington where he will compete for a roster spot, battling it out with Richard Rodgers and Logan Thomas. This is a great pickup for the Redskins, who strangely didn’t draft a TE during the three days, despite it being one of their biggest areas of need.

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Denver Broncos undrafted free agent tracker: 1 player signed so far

The Broncos are filling their offseason roster by signing undrafted free agents. View all of the team’s UDFA signings here.

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After selecting 10 players in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos will fill their 90-man offseason roster by signing undrafted free agents. Here’s a look at the players that have agreed to terms with the team so far:

1. WR Zimari Manning (source) 

Note: No undrafted free agent signings are unofficial until confirmed by the team. Players invited to rookie minicamp on a tryout basis are sometimes incorrectly reported as UDFA signings. 

Broncos general manager John Elway has done a good job in the past finding gems after the draft. Elway’s list of successful UDFA signings includes cornerback Chris Harris, outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and running backs C.J. Anderson and Phillip Lindsay.

Harris will be added to the team’s Ring of Fame after he retires, Barrett led the NFL in sacks last year, Anderson helped the team win Super Bowl 50 and Lindsay has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons.

Alexander Johnson, who signed with Denver in 2018, was technically an undrafted free agent signing as well. He emerged as the Broncos’ best inside linebacker last season and will be a key player on defense in 2020.

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Ranking the top Saints roster needs ahead of undrafted free agency

The New Orleans Saints addressed important roster needs early in the 2020 NFL Draft, but they can still improve with college free agents.

The New Orleans Saints made the most of this year’s draft picks, aggressively moving up the board early on to target upgrades along the offensive line and in the linebacker corps, while laying the groundwork for long-term plans at tight end.

But it cost them a lot to make those moves, and now the Saints must lean heavily on their crop of undrafted free agents to continue plugging holes on the roster. Fortunately, the depth they’ve cultivated over years of drafts and signings should allow them to be highly selective in who they target after the picks conclude.

Here are four positions of need for the Saints to pursue on Saturday night:

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Broncos expected to sign 7-9 UDFAs after the draft

The Broncos are expected to have a small undrafted free agent class this year.

Last year, the Denver Broncos signed 17 undrafted free agents following the draft. Denver also signed 17 UDFAs following the 2017 NFL Draft.

This year, the team’s college free agent class will be much smaller.

Teams aren’t allowed to use their facilities for the draft this year because of COVID-19. Without scouts, coaches and executives all in the same room, that will make it harder to sign undrafted free agents.

The Broncos are also scheduled to have 10 picks in the draft. Even if Denver makes a few trades, they won’t have as many roster spots for UDFAs as they have in previous years.

“It’s always a difficult time but even more so this year with it being virtual,” Broncos general manager said during a pre-draft Zoom conference call with reporters on Monday. “We’re fortunate in the fact that with our numbers, we shouldn’t be — we don’t need too many CFAs. It’s a good year to be in a position that we’re in.

“Again, it’s going to be more difficult because of it being virtual. Hopefully, when the draft’s over we can at least add seven, eight, nine CFAs that can have a chance to maybe make our team.”

The list of recent successful UDFA signings for the Broncos includes Malik Reed (2019), Phillip Lindsay (2018) and Elijah Wilkinson (2017).

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The Lions will have to cut players if they want to sign any UDFAs

With 81 players under contract — or agreed to terms with — and nine draft picks in their possession, the Detroit Lions roster is potentially maxed out. Meaning if they want to sign any undrafted free agents after the draft, they will have to start cutting players off of their active roster to make room.

Whether it’s a roster adjustment during these uncertain times or part of a pre-planned offseason strategy, the Detroit Lions are just over a week away from the NFL draft and their 90-man roster appears to be maxed out.

With 81 players having contracts in place and nine draft picks in their possession, the Lions don’t have any room to add any undrafted free agents. Meaning if they want to sign any UDFAs after the draft, they will have to start cutting players off of their active roster to make room.

Typically, general manager Bob Quinn has entered the draft with double-digit open spots on the 90-man roster — he had 12 open roster spots in 2016, 14 in 2017, 14 in 2018, and 11 in 2019 — but this year he has zero.

This doesn’t mean the Lions won’t pursue any UDFA’s, they always do as part of their team-building strategy, but it could mean they will be more selective in the offers they make.

Quinn does have some room on the roster to maneuver if he needs to clear space. Here’s a look at the number of players the Lions currently have at each position:

Quarterback 3
Running back 6
Wide receiver 11
Tight end 5
Offensive tackle 5
Interior offensive line 9
Interior defensive line 7
EDGE rusher 4
Off-the-ball Linebacker 12
Corner 9
Safety 5
Kicker 1
Punter 2
Long Snapper 2

Off-the-ball linebacker, punter, and long snapper stand out as overloaded positions that could be altered, and for every player drafted, that position group could also see adjustments.

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The Lions will surely bring in UDFAs, but will it still be the double-digit amount we have seen under Quinn in the past? We will find out in 10 days.

Should the Seahawks reunite with free agent DE Benson Mayowa?

The Seahawks need any help they can get off the edge, and DE Benson Mayowa could be a nice addition after recording seven sacks last year.

The Seattle Seahawks are connected to every single free agent who is remotely capable of rushing the passer – as they struggled mightily in that area in 2019.

While Jadeveon Clowney is the primary target, and names like Everson Griffen and Matthew Judon carry more weight, this team could also look for some cheaper, veteran alternatives to supplant the names they already have on the roster – building that culture of competition in training camp that coach Pete Carroll loves.

A list of names that fall into that camp includes some familiar ones, such as Michael Bennett and Clay Matthews, but another less memorable name that could be a solid under-the-radar signing is Benson Mayowa.

Mayowa, 28, spent last season with the Oakland Raiders, his fourth NFL team in his seven year NFL career which began as an undrafted free agent with the Seahawks back in 2013.

Mayowa only appeared in two games with Seattle, recording two tackles before ending up in Oakland, Dallas, Arizona and back to Oakland in 2019.

However, despite his nomadic career, Mayowa has topped four sacks in a season three times, including a career-high seven last year with the Raiders. Four sacks is what Rasheem Green, Seattle’s team leader, recorded last year.

So, there’s little doubt Mayowa could make an impact on this defense, regardless of whether or not the team is able to bring Clowney back into the mix.

If nothing else, Mayowa would be an excellent veteran to bring into training camp on an incentive-laden, one-year deal to push youngsters like Green and L.J. Collier. If both of them beat him out for a job – that’s a good sign things are improving up front.

If not, well, they have a veteran with 20 sacks to his name to help out as a situational pass rusher.

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Saints signed All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray to a contract extension

The New Orleans Saints signed special teams ace J.T. Gray, a Pro Bowler and All-Pro, to a one-year contract extension for the 2020 season.

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The New Orleans Saints signed Pro Bowl and All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray to a contract extension last month, reports NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. It’s a one-year contract worth $750,000, which is standard for someone with Gray’s limited NFL experience. Underhill added that the deal was signed on Feb. 7.

But he’s accomplished quite a lot in just a short time. Gray is a fixture on the punt and kickoff coverage units, having played nearly as many snaps on special teams (285) as Taysom Hill last year (287), only missing time with an early-game leg injury against the Chicago Bears after just three plays. Other than that, Gray was on the field for more than half of the special teams snaps run in every game the Saints played last season.

Not bad for someone who was a dark horse to even make the opening-day roster. Gray signed with the Saints as an undrafted rookie out of Mississippi State, and at the time was overlooked by other rookie free agent signings like Cincinnati cornerback Linden Stephens, Western Kentucky tight end Deon Yelder, and Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett. It’s a testament to the work he’s put in that he’s playing so often and racking up the accolades while those other players are looking for opportunities on other teams.

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2020 NFL Draft: Seattle Seahawks attend Kansas State’s Pro Day

The Seattle Seahawks had scouts in attendance at Kansas State’s Pro Day, likely evaluating receiver Dalton Schoen.

The NFL combine is over, giving the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league a chance to evaluate the athleticism and size of 337 NFL draft hopefuls.

However, there are more players who could find their way into the draft – or at least training camp as an undrafted free agent – which is why many colleges host a Pro Day every year on campus, to give some of their less heralded guys a chance to shine.

Kansas State has been putting players in the NFL with regularity for the last few years, yet none of their players from last year’s squad were invited to the combine.

That didn’t stop a ton of scouts from coming out to the school’s Pro Day on Wednesday, with the Seahawks reportedly among the team’s in attendance.

The Seahawks are always among the most aggressive teams in the late rounds and on the undrafted market – making it no surprise they’d want to see some of the talent who didn’t make the combine.

Among the standouts for Kansas State were receiver Dalton Schoen, who ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash, and offensive lineman Nick Kaltmayer, who repped 18 on the bench press.

The Seahawks will likely be at as many Pro Day events as possible over the next six weeks as they prepare to bring on as much potential talent as they can heading into training camp and the 2020 season.

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